The Lost Colony
by aceofspades57
Summary: Years before the fall of Wall Maria, the central government launched a program to confirm if humanity was capable of surviving in the outside world. For the most part, they sent out farmers to cultivate the land. However they soon received word that the colony had been destroyed and the matter was shut up and buried, until the Recon Corps stumbled on the survivors. (Levi x oc)
1. Prologue

**A/N For all of those people who are skeptical of oc stories please pretty pretty please give this a chance. Just so you know this story will have more than one oc and if you detest oc stories that you're about to tear out your hair and break your computer please stop reading, pour out all of your hate into a review or pm, and move on. Criticism is ALWAYS welcome and please don't hold back on anything you want to say. I can take it, I'm a big girl. Also I want to prevent the dreaded Mary Sue -ism of any of my ocs, so if you see any sign of it, please tell me. Oh, and I also owe oodles and oodles of gratitude to Miss ZDrive to whom I owe much of this entire idea to. For any D. Gray-Man fans that may be here** ,I** suggest you go read some of her stories. Also I owe oodles of thanks to a mutual friend, who sadly does not have a fanfiction account but is still a kick ass writer.**

'_Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain…To feel the freedom that comes from being able to make mistakes and choices- today I choose to feel life, not deny my humanity but embrace it.'- Kevyn Aucoin_

Her hands firmly grasped the beam in front of her. Swinging her legs forward and up, she released the beam and latched onto the next. The wind was whipping past her as she accelerated and once again she released the acrobatic beam. With a small flip and a brief glimpse of the forest canopy with outstretched arms she reached for the next. The tips of her fingers had barely grazed past it when she started falling.

All of this training just to become a stain on the forest floor. It's funny how life just loves to mess with people. Only the good die young, right? Fortunately for her, life has, does, and always will consider her a terrible person. Fortunately for her someone knew her well enough to follow her routine step by step and with a couple of small adjustments to the right she landed safely in his arms.

Noting the blatant fact she wasn't a pile of broken bleeding limbs, she was faced with a familiar and friendly face that was absolutely _beaming._ Fortunate really is a subjective word, isn't it? His lips parted, he took in a breath and paused with a wide grin plastered to his face. What are the odds that you have a near death experience only to be saved by your worst frenemy? Remember that thing about life? Yeah, she was getting a lot of that today.

"I knew you were an angel, but this is just ridiculous." And there it was. One of the hundreds of flirtatious things that escaped his mouth on a daily basis, and fate, life, karma, or whatever you want to call it just gave him the perfect opportunity to use that line. She would never live this down. He would make sure of that.

Though his flamboyant personality and flirtatious tendencies had cause more than a few spats between the two, the main fire starter was his brain. Being a borderline genius like him had its advantages. You can piss off so many people without even breaking a sweat, not to mention how funny it is when it is when they explode. And the moment when you actually find people, who are at a high enough intellectual level that it's pleasant to be around them, it's a comforting feeling. She's no genius but she has one hell of a comeback.

"Max," she responded calmly, "Put me down." The tall brunette flashed a mischievous grin at her before outright refusing and whisking her off deeper into the forest. If only she had made it that easy. Kicking and screaming like her life depended on it, or more so her pride, the chocolate haired girl thrashed violently in the arms of her savior. "Max, you have five seconds to put me on the ground before I beat you to death with a tree branch."

Max shrugged and complied with her demand. He dropped her on the damp forest floor and she landed flat on her back. One thing about Max you have to be literal or you will be looking like an absolute moron within a fifteen second time period. "I really should have seen that coming," The young brunette said picking herself up.

"This wouldn't have happened if you would have let me carry you." He replied with a hint of superiority in his voice.

"Max. I do not care who you flirt with, whether it be Evangeline, Raphael, a chipmunk, or that tree over there but kindly leave me out of it."

Max smirked at her comment. "I _would_ but your reactions are way too funny."

"I give up." She sighed in defeat. Max maintained his signature cheeky smile and ran a hand through his brown locks. "Suit up Rayen, we've gotta get moving."

"Well I would kind of sort of need my gear to do that." He gestured to the pile Acrobatic Combat Gear next to her with his thumb. "Oh." With a quick mental slap she started the long checklist of equipment parts. Knee pads? Check. Hoodie? Check. Kevlar vest? Check. Gloves? Check. About a hundred other doohickeys, technical thingamabobs, and enough crisscrossing straps to strangle a small animal? Check. And the piece de resistance, two double edged broadswords strapped to the back. Check.

"I'm all set."

* * *

"Damn it, Keefe! I told not to go off like that!" A girl lay sprawled out on the grass, still breathing, but she had multiple broken bones and probably wouldn't be able to talk for a while. You can only hope for the best when fighting against the titans but what angered this man the most was the fact that this situation could have been avoided.

"There is one specific rule 'Do not fight alone', why can't you follow it? Or any rule for that matter." Rayen glanced over at the injured woman. Her name was Fiona Thompson; she was short, a little on the chubby side, and grated on her nerves to no end, even when she lay broken and beaten on the ground. Rayen took a deep breath and thought about how she could do some damage control. However, with all the things that came to her mind she found it better to keep her mouth shut.

"Lieutenant Carter, with all due respect, Rayen is-" Max started, knowing full and well that his hot-headed partner could only get herself into more trouble. The Lieutenant turned his fiery blue –eyed gaze to him. "Not another word Reeves. Go help Thompson." He motioned over to the unconscious girl and Max followed his orders obediently. Turning back to the female soldier the older man sighed running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. "You're on hunting duty for the next week Keefe. And I don't want any complaints, do you hear me?"

Balling her hand into a fist and moving her arm to her back she slammed her fist to her heart in a salute. As soon as her commanding officer had disappeared from sight she lowered her arm and stormed off into the forest.

"That little bitch deserved it!" There's nothing quite like ranting angrily to yourself in the middle of the forest. It's a great way to relieve pent up aggression. "Why do I always get stuck with hunting duty? Sure I may have a few problems following directions but we're supposed to eliminate titans! So what, if I just ended up there earlier than the others. And that fatass doesn't do jack shit around here anyway." With a few more grumbles and shouts Rayen finally found a suitable target. _Slow your breathing…_ The animal remained completely still. _Keep quiet and..._She reached for her blade and with one swift movement she nailed her target with the skill of a squirrel never saw it coming.

_A squirrel, meh, good enough. But then again…Lieu tenant will probably make me eat what I catch…damn it._ She was just about to start huffing and puffing again when a ten meter class titan came stumbling into view. She really needed to pay more attention to her surroundings. Taking refuge behind one of the trees, just as she reached for her swords, the titan had fallen face first onto the ground. It was dead.

There was a man standing on top of his carcass, casually wiping titan blood from his hand on a white handkerchief. She would have thought he was one of their own but his clothing suggested otherwise. He was wearing a green cape with a symbol that resembled wings on the back and she caught a glimpse of a brown jacket underneath. The man whipped around suddenly as if he could sense her eyes scrutinizing him. "Who's there?" He asked with an eerie calmness in his voice. A loud thumping rang in her ears and she tightened her grip on her weapon. _Slow your breathing…_ A bead of sweat ran down her cheek. _Calm your mind._ She released the tension in her shoulders and her heart beat slowed with every intake of breath.

A swift motion caught her off guard. Rayen craned her head and saw the slim blade lodged in the branch just above her head. "I suggest you come out now, because I won't miss again." _Just my luck. First I get yelled at for no good reason and now I'm gonna die. Well, at least I won't be eaten by a titan. Anything is better than that, right?_ The young brunette stepped out from her hiding place and glowered at the strange man that was now advancing towards her. Weird. He seemed shorter up close.

There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes that quickly dissipated into a half lidded stare. She was around his height and her medium brown hair was up in a braided bun with her hair parted to hide part of her left eye. He was quite puzzled by the symbol the rested over her heart. It was a black bolt of lightning wrapped in a circle chains. Obviously she wasn't from the walls. That could be seen by her clothing, though the feral expression on her face was another indicator. Much like a cornered animal. He also took notice of the dead squirrel in her hand. He took a deep breath and asked her as calm as ever, "Who are you?" Her glare intensified. "I should be asking you that same question." They were in a deadlock. Neither of them spoke, they just stared at each other, trying to find any visible strengths or weaknesses in the other.

A twitch. A simple twitch in his right hand alerted her of an incoming attack. She did what any rational person would do in her position. Rayen flung the squirrel carcass at him and took off running as fast as she could. What Levi's colleges would have given to see the look on his face when that squirrel hit him right in the kisser.

* * *

"Oi, Erwin, what the hell is going on? Why are there _humans_ running around the forest?" The commander turned, confused by Levi's sudden questioning.

"What do you mean?" He replied.

Everybody knew about the few bunches of 'special' people that prefer to live outside the walls. Many of them were conspiracy theorists or paranoid schizophrenics. It wasn't the Recon Corps' first time running into them. Despite the majority of them that suffered from paranoia there were others that made up the other half of the outside population. Farmers who couldn't afford the rising prices of owning land and raising crops. Probably the reason why food availability was fluctuating so much. Though they were armed and they could kill a titan if the need arose, they were by no means trained followers of a military organization.

"Why are their _soldiers_ running around this forest?"


	2. Reconnaissance

_I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe_

Feet pounding on the ground, batting back plant life that threatened to smack her in the face, Rayen arrived back at camp out of breath with sweat streaming down her face. It had been a while since she ran like that. She shuddered at the memory of a flock of birds trying to peck her eyes out on a hunting trip. Damn birds.

"Ray!" A feminine voice called out to her. There are only a handful of people in her small ring of companions who called her that. Seeing that Max was taking care of bitch face McGee and the voice more than likely belonging to a female, she came to the only logical conclusion.

"Evangeline." A dark skinned female came running to her side, black curls bouncing with every stride. The female put a finger to her mouth and cocked her head to the side in an attempt to assess the potential causes of her best friend's exhausted countenance. "You really need to get over your fear of birds."

"It's not a fear. It's a healthy awareness." Rayen responded defensively. Really, those things are vicious little vermin. Then her curly haired companion caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye and her heart dropped into her stomach. Three titans were advancing towards their camp. One was around a fifteen meters tall, another around seven meters, the other about ten meters. Snapping into emergency mode Evangeline sprinted towards the barracks to grab hold of some fellow soldiers for help. Luckily she found some familiar faces to help out. They had all been trainees together and now ironically, they were team mates. A sort of 'elite' team devised by the head honcho, their commander, comprised of six people.

Maximilian a.k.a. Max Reeves- Trained in depth in emergency medicine and traumatic injuries from military service, his quick thinking and knowledge has saved more than a few lives. Though occasionally, his quick thinking is also what gets him in trouble with team mates.

Rayen Keefe- Her special tracking capabilities and her usage of the ACG hints at her potential of being an astounding soldier but her often brash behavior and disregard for orders frequently gets her into trouble.

Raphael Fabian- Dependable, though a tad introverted, he is _by far_ the strongest out of them all. Although he can be abrasive at times he is a very capable leader when he needs to be.

Fiona Thompson- A strict stickler for the rules, she is the mature one of the group. She often breaks up fights between her teammates. Her unusually sharp sense of hearing has given her notoriety among others.

Carter Millan- Lieutenant and leader of their small group, he was handpicked by the higher ups for this job.

Evangeline Williams- The other medic of the group, she is soft-spoken and kind. That in complete contrast to her team mate and friend Rayen Keefe, she is very keen on directions and is slow to object on what she thinks is wrong. She also has a knack for figuring out how people are feeling.

Raphael stood in front of his comrades, though Fiona was resting in the infirmary, and began briefing them with his plan.

"We go with the usual strategy. Williams and Keefe will take the one on the right, Reeves and I will take the two on the left."

* * *

A sharp intake of breath and the rhythm of a speeding heart. The grotesque humanoid creature wandered about. No matter how many times you come up against a titan, it's always best to keep a sense of caution when fighting them. Fear, though in excess can get you killed, it can also save your life. That's why fear exists in the first place. It is the body's way of telling you 'whatever the hell you think you're doing, you might want to stop whatever the hell it is you are doing unless you want to end up five feet under. Really, it's a voice of reason in the otherwise calamity that is the human mind.

"Stay calm and breathe." Evangeline heard her friend's voice say. It had been a while since she had been out in the field and Rayen could tell. "I'll distract it and you go for the kill. Does that sound like a plan?" The curly haired female nodded, grabbing hold of her swords.

Rayen sauntered up to the 7 meter class titan and promptly yelled "Hey ugly! Catch me if you can!" Catching its attention, the brunette proceeded to run like hell.

Jumping over things, running past things, _dodging_ things, all what seemed to her to be as fast as the wind. She had been running nonstop for, at the very least, ten minutes with the titan right on her heels. Where was Evangeline? Did something happen to her? What if she got hurt? All of these things started to race through her mind as apprehension took hold of her. Her eyes started to sting with tears and she shoved back the negative thoughts. No matter what, she had to stay alive. Though that's easier said than done.

An oversized humanoid hand wrapped itself around her, snatching her straight off the ground. She was literally staring death in the face. Her eyes widened and tears spilled over. _No, not here. I don't want to die here, I can't die here._ Rayen tried to wriggle out enough to reach her swords but the titan just tightened its grip and lifted her up to its mouth. This was the end of the line.

Remember that thing about life? How it always likes to mess with people? Whether it be fate, life, karma, or whatever you want to call it, it decided that this _still_ was not her dying day. No, life had a much different plan for Rayen Keefe. There was a quick flash of green and an animalistic groan emanating from the titan. Its arm was on the ground, Rayen included, and within a few seconds so was the titan.

Only when she tried opening her eyes did she noticed how hard she was squeezing them shut. She also noticed black spots dancing across the forest canopy. A numbish feeling filled her head and she felt something warm trickle down her neck. Reflexively, she raised her hand to touch it. When she retracted her hand, she found it coated red with blood.

"Miss, are you alright?" A deep muffled voiced said from behind. The blonde man went around to get a good look at the girl's face. She had been nearly been eaten by a titan, after all. There was a glazed over look in her eyes and blood coating her hand. "Are you alright?" The man repeated, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes rolled back and it she was out like a light.

* * *

Pacing back and forth in unfamiliar territory, Max refused to sit patiently like the rest of his team. They run into titans, they kill titans, but some jacked up soldiers in green capes come waltzing in on their territory and take _them_ in for questioning? Strip them of their gear and arrest _them_ for no good reason, then having three guys with giant guns watch over them?

Now that's plain rude. And another thing, apparently Rayen had been injured while these green cape guys were flying around doing, what exactly? _Jack shit_ that's what. The green capes wouldn't even let him examine her injuries. They have their own people for that. Oh, he was beyond pissed now.

"Max, sit down." Raphael spoke calmly and sternly. "Being frustrated and impatient won't make anything happen faster." He was right. Raphael is always right. Max never did get how the man could be so emotionless all the time and he was supposed to be a genius.

Evangeline had been first to arrive at Camp Green Cape. Some of the soldiers had stumbled upon the girl running after something. Of course, being all 'Oh my god, there's a human here!' and everything, they arrested her without listening to a word she had to say. Thus resulting in the near death of her best friend. Max wasn't the only angry one.

"What do you people want from us?" Evangeline asked the blonde man sitting across from the make shift interrogation table. The man had introduced himself as Erwin Smith, Commander of the Recon Corps, whatever that was. There was another man in the room with them. He was relatively short and had a stare that could bore through a titan.

"Answers" The shorter male said from the wall he was leaning on. "Who are you? Why are you here?" The curly haired took in a long deep breath. "My name is Evangeline Williams. I live here." _Wasn't this Erwin guy supposed to be the interrogator?_

"What do you mean by that? If don't start explaining, we're going to be here all day or at least _you_ are." Now she was starting to squirm. These types of situations never worked well with her though it wouldn't be nearly as uncomfortable if the shorter one wasn't back seat interrogating.

Evangeline took in another long shaky breath. "I live up in the trees. Just west of here, you'll see tree houses for about two square miles. That's where we live."

"Who's 'we'?" The endless river of questions was starting to peel away layers of her patience. "_We_ are the four people you just captured."

"Elaborate."

She narrowed her eyes into what could be considered a glare and responded "None of your business." Evangeline Williams may be soft-spoken and gentle but she's tough when she needs to be.

This seemed to anger the man because he headed towards her, slammed his hands on the table, and glowered dangerously at her. "A man by the name of Carter Millan killed three of my men. No warning, no signs, just came out from behind us and started dropping bodies. I'd say it's my damn business."

The room fell silent. She didn't show it but now, _now_ things had totally changed. At first she had seen them as the enemy butting into their lives and causing injuries. Now she saw that the roles were reversed. _They_ were the enemy in this situation and instead of injuries, three _lives_ had been lost. Lives, with families that are waiting for them to come home. Families that would no doubt be wrecked by their losses. Lives, with memories of good and bad that have been destroyed by the single stroke of a blade.

Evangeline stared down at her lap, refusing to say another word. Although guilt was starting to gnaw at her insides, she didn't say another word. She couldn't say another word. She was protecting her own family.

"Call in the next one. We're not going to get any more from her." The dark haired male obliged and brought in a tall brunette.

He sat down in the small wooden chair and his gears started spinning. _The small one with his arms crossed_ _is probably the aggressive one, while mister poker face in front of me is the observer_. Max swung his legs over and onto the table and folded his arms across his chest. Then he let his cheeky smile show and turned to look at the smaller male. _Oh this is going to be hilarious_, Max thought to himself. He could tell by the way the dark haired man's eyes narrowed when he put his feet on the table that he hit the nail on the head with his initial assumption. Oh, the perks of being bisexual.

"Hey babe, how are you this fine _fine_ day?" The man's eyes strayed slightly to the right as if to say 'Is this guy talking to me?'

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, sexy." That certainly did wonders. He could see the shorter man, stiffen and the blonde's expression changed ever so slightly. Oh his plan was going splendidly.

The dark haired man ignored his advances and started with age old question. "Who are you?" To which Max responded. "Honey, you don't need to know who I am. Just know that I have magic hands." A shudder ran down the raven haired man's spine and he took in a breath to keep his composure. What was with this guy?

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"No can do sweety, because by tonight you'll be screaming my name over and over." He heard the blonde cough a couple of times which was most likely to disguise his laughter. This was starting to get out of hand. The interrogation was more of an impending sexual harassment charge than anything.

_Now for the finishing touch_. Max lowered his feet from the table and leaned in as close as possible to the dark haired man. His hand slowly sliding towards the other male's. "You know you want me, baby."

"I most certainly do not. First off, I am straight, second off, if your hand gets any closer to me I _will_ cut it off." Max retracted his hand and let his smile fade away. Time for phase two.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that you look so much like my ex-girlfriend. She was cute but she was such a _bitch_."

The dark haired male shot up from his seat and turned to the blonde who was suppressing some 'coughs'.

"Erwin, are we done here?"

The blonde nodded, dismissing Max back to his tent with the others. Max: 1 Green Cape Guys: 0 As soon as he had entered the tent, Raphael exited. To his surprise, there was one extra body in the tent with his team mate. Upon closer inspection it showed to be none other than Rayen Keefe. Her head had been bandaged up as well as her left wrist. Evangeline was currently hugging the life out of the poor girl apologizing repeatedly for her absence.

"Evangeline, if the fall didn't kill her, then you might kill her from lack of oxygen." The curly haired girl whipped around and stuck her tongue out at the brunette.

"You're just jealous cause I get to hug her."

Max, ignoring Evangeline's previous statement, walked up to the beaten and battered girl and looked straight into her hazel eyes.

"So, how're you feeling?" Evangeline could detect a hint of worry in his voice. He was _so_ jealous.

"Well, this place is spinning, my ears are ringing, and my head feels like it's been under a titan's foot. Yep, she had a one hundred percent, class A case of concussion. Max removed himself from Rayen's eyes and sat down between her and Evangeline.

"Rayen, how many fingers am I holding up?" Rayen squinted at her friend's hand. He was only holding up one finger but from her point of view he was holding up three. All of a sudden her face became tinted with a grayish pallor and she practically tripped over herself to get outside the tent. A retching sound was heard along with a surprised shout.

Rayen returned to her seat beside Max and said shakily "Well that sucked." Max chuckled. "For who? You or the guy who currently has vomit all over his boots."

"Both"

* * *

"Who are you and why are you here?"

Silence. The sandy haired man stared at the two men in front of him. One was short, the other tall. One had black hair, the other was blonde. One started yelling questions at him, the other observed.

Obviously the blonde was the one pulling the strings around here. Raphael, ignoring the shouts of the other male, focused all of his attention on the blonde.

"What is this about?"

"Three of our men were killed by a man named Carter Millan. Do you know anything about that?"

Raphael responded with a flat 'no' and it was dead silent. At least until a brown haired woman came bursting in, waving a little blue book in her hand like it was a long lost treasure. And to all of their surprises it sort of was.

"Erwin, look at this!" The brunette frantically flipped through the little blue book and stopped on a certain page. It was handwritten, though it was scraggly and messy. Apparently this was a very important piece of information because she was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.

"Hanji, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be screaming about titans or something?"

The brunette started to explain like she hadn't heard a thing.

"About fifty years ago the capital launched a project to see if humanity could survive in titan country. They sent out farmers and the homeless and poor with no means of defending themselves out into titan territory. A few years later the operation was deemed a colossal failure and information about it was erased. Do you see where I'm going with this? "

"Hanji, what did you find?" The blonde asked cautiously.

"This" She pointed at the small book on the table. "This is the account of one of those farmers. The name in the book says Henry B. Millan."

The dark haired male sighed. "So you're telling us that a bunch of gardeners."

"Farmers."

"_Farmers_, developed their own military, weapons, and their own version of 3D Maneuver Gear and have survived in titan country ever since?"

"Precisely!" Hanji adjusted her glasses and turned to the blonde. "Erwin, what do you think?" The man stood up, closing the book in the process, and stated the fact that the Recon Corps would be taking the four people they had found in this forest back inside the walls.

"Wait" They received a surprising objection from the sandy haired man that was previously being interrogated. "What happened to Carter Millan, where is he?" The three soldiers exchanged glancing and the one the woman had called Erwin stated another fact.

Carter Millan had stabbed himself through the heart before they could arrest him. The only words he uttered before his suicide was his own name.

**A/N Hello my lovely readers! Hope you like this chapter. Honestly I am REALLY excited about this fic and I can't wait to get to the deep juicy parts. I'll update every two to three weeks, four at the latest. I will try my best not to go over four weeks without updating but I can make no promises. Nobody knows the future. And I'm being completely honest here; more reviews will more than likely mean faster updates. Who doesn't love criticism? I would really like feedback on characters though…personally my favorite is Max. So with that, until next time. **


	3. Forgive and Forget

_Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into hope for our future. - Lewis B. Smedes_

"He what?!" Rayen Keefe very well may have strangled the man who informed her of their dearly departed Lieutenant, had it not been for the wave of vertigo that bitch slapped her across the face when she shot up from her chair. Max sat there with a wide eyed gaze, mind whirring at the thought of the apparent murder-suicide of their superior. Evangeline was as quiet as a mouse while Raphael explained their current situation.

"The commander, I think his name's Erwin, has given orders that we be taken back to these 'walls'. Let me make one thing clear to all of you. Though we will be following their directions, for the most part, don't forget about the original rules of the colony. Don't get caught up in whatever happens there. "

Max waved him off casually stating that 'Raffy Taffy should chill before he gives himself an aneurism'. Evangeline's eyes slowly drifted towards her injured friend. The curly haired girl recalled something Rayen had told her a long time ago, something having to do with walls. The injured female was chewing slowly on the inside of her cheek, a nervous habit she had picked up a few years ago.

While Max and Raphael were engaged in a thrilling conversation about nick-names, the two females were had a short non verbal discussion of their own. Basically, Evangeline knew something was wonky and was trying to drag information out of her friend. But that girl is as stubborn as a lock on a door that has been rusted shut.

But Evangeline was determined to drag as much information about these 'walls' out of her friend as she could. However, right as she was about to inquire about said walls, a frazzled looking brunette popped in. Raphael recognized her as the woman who had burst in during his interrogation, waving a little blue journal in her hand, Hanji was her name. Although instead of waving a journal with a hysterical look on her face, she had a bunch of those green capes in her arms. Four to be precise.

Max raised an eyebrow. "Are those…" Hanji nodded. "For now, we have to keep the fact of your existence under wraps. There's no telling how the public could react to an intelligent civilization with advanced weaponry fighting titans outside the walls. Well an intelligent civilization besides us, that is."

The bespectacled woman handed a green cape to each one of them. "So until we figure out what to do with all of you, you're all part of the Recon Corps." Rayen stared at the symbol on the back of her new attire. Something about it created waves of nostalgia that, if she didn't remember exactly where she had seen it, she might very well lose it. It's something about not remembering things that irked her to no end. It soon became apparent that she would not be remembering any time soon and she returned to chewing on the inside of her cheek. "We'll be departing soon, so get ready."

* * *

Levi was not a happy camper. An irritated, perplexed, uncomfortable, camper but definitely NOT happy. You see, each one of those…people was assigned a Recon soldier to ride horseback with. They couldn't be trusted, or at least not yet. And Levi swore on so many things that Erwin purposefully paired him with Max Reeves. The girl with the concussion would have been better than _him._ He could have at least had some peace and quiet with her around. But alas, he was stuck with the man who insisted on clinging to him, feeling up his, and this is where it gets awkward 'Deliciously rock hard abs', and saying things that he wouldn't dare repeat in broad daylight.

Evangeline was enduring her own kind of, what one could call 'torture'. It's not like she hated the woman or even disliked her for that matter. It's just that when you've spent the last two hours with a woman chattering away about titans, it can grate a little on the nerves. When Raphael met his horseback buddy, instead of being greeted with the classic handshake, was sniffed. Yes, sniffed. This one's name was Mike. Man, this Recon Corps sure did have a lot of wierdos.

Rayen was beginning to think that Erwin Smith had some sort of sickness because he was coughing up a storm for the past few minutes. Though it soon became evident that his 'coughing' was to disguise his extreme amusement. Even she had to admit that Max messing with Mr. Shortie was absolutely hilarious.

Soon enough though, she found herself falling asleep. It had been a long day so she gladly welcomed the comfort of sleep. But one thing about sleep, whenever the brain has a problem it couldn't figure out during the day, it tends to try and figure it out when you're sleeping. For example it may try to figure out something that had been long forgotten, may be not even that. The thoughts may have just been sitting there in the back of your head waiting to resurface. Either way, something that was once deep down in the depths of your mind can always comes back to you in the form of a dream.

_There was a man. Dark, fiery red hair, freckles splattered across his face, twinkling hazel eyes. There was just something about him. Maybe it was the way he would flash a bright smile every time she would say his name. Maybe it was the way he would pick her up and swing her around while laughing like a madman. Whatever it was, it left her with a sense of nostalgia and longing lingering around the scene. A kind of longing, that if remembered, could lead to heartbreak._

Waking up in an unfamiliar environment can freak a person out, just a tad. But what freaked Rayen out about her current situation was the fact that Max, the flamboyant best friend, was hovering over her with a serious look etched onto his face. If Max is serious then there has to be some sort of life and death situation in play.

"Max, what the actual hell? Watching people in their sleep? That's graduating to new levels of creepy." Instead of the usual witty remark, Max answered with a short sigh and a curious stare. Oh, how he wanted to say it. How he wanted to say 'Well, I'm sorry for thinking you had gone into a coma from brain trauma.' Why he didn't pipe up and say that line, dripping with sass, was beyond him. It was just one of those times where you could say something smart and funny but for whatever reason you don't.

"Yeah, I guess it is a bit creepy." He said with a listless gaze, concentrated on the window in the corner. Even for a crippled girl, she took notice of the strange change of character. And Rayen being like she is, became extremely uncomfortable at the awkward silence. Because Rayen is the type to, when a friend is bawling his/her eyes out, pat them on the back and say 'it'll be alright' with a 15 foot long stick. People just weren't thing. So, awkwardly clearing her throat, addressed the current problem that was nagging at her.

"So, where are we exactly?" Max looked over to her and then back to the window. "Out of the three walls that these people live in, we are in the high class fancy shamsy Wall Sina." He made sure that he sound a Rayen flopped back down on the bed, curling up in a ball underneath the cover. "That Erwin is meeting with the higher ups of this place to decide what to do with us."

"Is that so…" There must be something in the air inside these walls because now Rayen felt an obligation to use three worded sentences. "Anything else?" Rayen asked.

"Yeah, as soon as you woke up I was supposed to take you to that meeting. But honestly I don't give a flying fladoodle." That was a new term. She raised an eyebrow at the newest addition to Max's vocabulary. "Fladoodle?" With a small nod, Max proceeded to explain that if he had said 'I don't give a flying fuck' then that would sound rude to the people who basically kidnapped them from their home and tossed them into this cage. At least back at the colony they were free and not locked up behind three big ass walls.

"We should probably go now." Rayen swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked over to the door. "It would be bad for us if they found out we ditched a meeting, right?"

Max shrugged, leading his hazel-eyed friend down the hall to the meeting room. "How can you be so rebellious and a goody two shoes at the same time?"

"I don't think you know what 'goody two shoes' means. Because if you did then you would never use _that_ and my name in the same sentence." Hah! A goody two shoes, Max really did have a good sense of humor.

The taller brunette shushed his friend and pointed to a large door to the left of them. Voices could be heard and Rayen could pick out Evangeline's among all of the baritone others._ Well, no guts, no glory._ She turned the knob and stepped into a room of mostly middle aged men in suits. Awkwardness was like a cloud of smoke as every single freaking one of them turned and stared.

"Are these the others?" Middle aged man #1 asked. Erwin answered with a flat 'yes' and invited the two to take a seat. Evangeline was sitting next to Raphael, playing with her fingers. Rayen noticed that that short black-haired man that Max was hitting on was present as well. Not only was he present but he was staring directly at her. It wasn't the teenage 'why won't she talk to me' stare or the 'what the hell is wrong with you' stare but a whole different thing entirely. It was like he was trying to strangle her with his eyes and frankly, it freaked her out more than Max did when he randomly started singing in a language that no man on the face of the planet spoke.

"I presume you are Rayen Keefe?" Middle aged man #2 said.

"Yes, sir."

The man nodded and the meeting continued as if they weren't even there. Max found himself incredibly bored by the entire thing an yearned for his usual antics. He glanced over at Rayen who had a glazed look in her eyes, indicating that the conversation was flowing right over her head. Raphael was listening intently and Evangeline stuck to fiddling with her hands.

The door creaked open about twenty minutes into the meeting and a man stepped in. He was wearing the exact same outfit as Erwin, emblem included. He calmly walked over to middle aged man #1 and whispered something in his ear. Rayen squinted at the man. Something about him seemed familiar. Dark red hair, freckles splattered across his face, twinkling hazel eyes, Rayen could feel the blood drain from her face as her memory slapped her across the face like a jilted ex-lover.

It was _him_.

**A/N Hello everybody~ THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I was not expecting so many reviews….so thank yous all around to the power of 10. Oh! And in this chapter, introducing the mystery red-head, who do you think it might be and how could Rayen possibly know this person? She's from the colony right? Tell me all about any theories you might have! I love to know what my readers are pondering. And another thing, I was wondering if perhaps later in the story I should write some small fluff mini chapters. For instance, if you found yourself craving fluff after chapter 12, I could do a 12.5 chapter. And with that I bid you adieu.**


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